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In the Teams desktop app, go to Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, turn on Turn off my camera and mic when my screen locks, then restart Teams. This automatically disables both devices when your screen locks; it is not a setting to join every meeting with the camera and mic off.
Set Teams to turn off your camera and mic when your screen locks
- In the Teams desktop app, select Settings and more (the ellipsis), then select Settings.
- Open Privacy.
- Turn on Turn off my camera and mic when my screen locks.
- Restart Teams for the setting to take effect.
Microsoft documents this option as a screen-lock trigger: it turns off both the camera and microphone when your screen locks. It does not establish a general preference to enter every meeting with both devices disabled. Microsoft’s microphone guidance also notes that available microphone capabilities can depend on meeting settings or IT-admin policies.
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Choose your camera and mic state before joining a meeting
On the pre-join screen, switch the camera and microphone off individually before selecting Join. Microsoft says Teams remembers the microphone preference for future meetings; its cited guidance does not make the same claim about remembering the camera preference. These pre-join controls are separate from the screen-lock setting. Microsoft’s video guidance also explains that you can change video using the Camera control during a meeting.
How Teams’ automatic and meeting-level controls differ
| Control | Trigger | Scope | Who changes the state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen-lock privacy setting | Your screen locks | Your camera and mic in the desktop app | You enable it in Privacy settings |
| Pre-join camera and mic controls | You prepare to join a meeting | Your devices for that meeting | You choose each device’s state before joining |
| Organizer attendee permissions | The organizer applies meeting settings | Attendees’ mic or camera access in that meeting | The organizer controls attendee permissions |
Organizer restrictions are not a personal automatic privacy preference. To manage attendee access, organizers use the meeting settings described in Microsoft’s guidance on audio and video permissions.
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Other ways Teams can turn off devices
Joining from a second device
If you are already in a meeting on one device and join that meeting from a second device, Teams turns off the camera and mic on the second device before it enters the meeting to help prevent echo. This applies to the companion-device workflow, not to every meeting join. Microsoft explains the second-device behavior here.
Turning devices off during a meeting
Participants can switch the camera or mic off or on using the meeting controls. See Microsoft’s guide to Teams meeting controls.
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Accessibility and controls that may vary
Microsoft’s screen-reader instructions cover choosing whether to join with video and audio on or off, as well as controlling the mic and camera during meetings. Keyboard shortcuts differ by context and platform, so use the instructions for your specific client rather than assuming one shortcut applies everywhere: use a screen reader to join a Teams meeting.
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